The high-profile treason trial of Joseph Kabila, former president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), began on Friday in a military court in Kinshasa, amid accusations he supported M23 rebels responsible for destabilising the mineral-rich eastern region of the country.
Kabila, who ruled the DRC for 18 years before handing over power in 2019, faces a raft of charges including treason, insurrection, torture, murder, rape, and the forcible occupation of Goma. He denies all allegations and was absent from court, requesting to be tried in absentia.
President Félix Tshisekedi, Kabila’s successor, has accused the former leader of masterminding the rebel campaign through a wider grouping known as the Congo River Alliance, which includes M23 and other militias. Kabila, in turn, dismissed the accusations as “arbitrary” and said the judicial system was being used as “an instrument of oppression.”
Following a brief opening session, the court adjourned proceedings until the end of the month to allow prosecutors more time to review evidence.
Kabila returned to Goma from self-imposed exile in South Africa in May, a move that sparked fresh tensions. Goma remains under the control of M23, a rebel group widely believed by the United Nations and several Western governments to receive backing from neighbouring Rwanda a claim Kigali strongly denies, insisting its actions are meant to prevent conflict spillover.
The former president’s prosecution became possible after the Congolese Senate voted in May to strip him of the lifetime immunity normally afforded to former leaders. The official charge sheet reportedly names Kabila as “one of the initiators of the Congo River Alliance.”
The move has deeply divided Congolese politics. Ferdinand Kambere, a former lawmaker from Kabila’s now-outlawed PPRD party, decried the trial as “political exclusion,” accusing the government of using “double standards” by negotiating with rebels while pursuing Kabila aggressively.
“This is not justice. It’s a theatre of power,” said Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, Kabila’s former presidential candidate and ally.
Deputy Justice Minister Samuel Mbemba rejected claims of bias.
“Justice does not negotiate, it does not join in dialogue. The calendar for justice is different from the political calendar,” he stated during the trial’s opening.
Kabila, now 54, became president in 2001 at just 29 following the assassination of his father, Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Though once hailed for overseeing the DRC’s first democratic transition of power in decades, his legacy has been marred by allegations of authoritarianism and ongoing tensions with the Tshisekedi administration.
A ceasefire agreement between the government and M23 was signed just last week, but clashes have persisted, casting further doubt on the peace process and adding weight to the accusations now facing the former president.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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